Sport and Exercise Medicine

Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) is a discipline which draws upon basic and applied biomedical and clinical sciences for the furtherance of knowledge and ensuring best practice in the diagnosis and management of Sport and Exercise related clinical problems.  The discipline is relevant to the whole population and seeks to promote health, prevent disease or injury, apply optimal treatment and rehabilitation, and to measure outcomes. As a multidisciplinary specialty it sits across primary and secondary care, with a focus on prevention as well as treatment.

Sport and Exercise Medicine represents a distinct body of knowledge, however, there will always be common ground with other specialist areas of knowledge.  As such Sport and Exercise Medicine specialists are particularly well equipped to act as part of multidisciplinary teams working with other health professionals in the management of exercise-related illness and injury, and the use of therapeutic exercise for those with a wide range of diseases and lifestyle issues.

Sport and Exercise Medicine physicians have specialist training which is focused on the beneficial effects of exercise on health, and the effects that medical conditions have on the individual’s capacity to exercise. Giving encouragement and assistance to individuals and groups in their endeavours to be active today, SEM provides a holistic and effective means of addressing the population health challenges of tomorrow. This is increasingly relevant as one of the great medical challenges over the coming century is to reverse the slide towards a sedentary and overweight population. The technological advances seen over the past century have been labour-saving and time-saving. These same advances however have resulted in a population that is generally required to perform less physical activity than at any other stage in human existence. Medical conditions such as obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, some cancers, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and mental illness can all be at least partially attributed to a sedentary lifestyle. Certainly exercise has been well proven to provide therapeutic benefit in each of these conditions. Studies demonstrate that those who exercise regularly are likely to contribute in a positive way to society. Children who exercise regularly are more likely to be successful at sport with its inherent benefits for self esteem and social skills. While governments struggle under the burden of increasing health-care costs, there is a real need for proactive support structures for those who wish to remain physically active and exercise.

However, sport and exercise are associated with injury and illness and Sport and Exercise specialists have the specialised skills necessary for the emergency treatment of such problems and the ongoing management of injuries. It is recognised that inadequate treatment can result in chronicity and permanent disability.

Training in Sport and Exercise Medicine provides doctors with a specialised skill set which enables them to treat and encourage the exercising individual, young or old, recreational or elite. Knowledge of the health benefits of exercise and of optimal exercise regimes for specific subgroups allows Sport and Exercise Medicine specialists to promote an active lifestyle to those groups who can benefit most. Sport and Exercise Medicine specialists require a broad range of clinical skills for dealing with medical illness in those who wish to exercise, as well as for treatment of musculoskeletal pathology.

In February 2005 the Department of Health announced plans for the development of the speciality of SEM. Since that time the Intercollegiate Academic Board in Sports and Exercise Medicine (IABSEM), together with representatives of this college has been active in driving forward the speciality in line with the developments in Modernising Medical Careers.  A competency-based curriculum has been approved by the STA and PMETB has notified us that SEM has been included in the Specialist Order as of the 30 September 2005.

IABSEM has now become recognised as the Faculty for SEM in the UK and the RCS Edinburgh and RCP London have agreed to act as host colleges for the speciality.  As a consequence this college has the opportunity to help form and develop the speciality by using its breadth of specialist medical knowledge and extensive experience in medical training.

Dr Sowden of the Trent Deanery has been appointed lead Dean for SEM.  Nine NTN's have been assigned to SEM and these will be allocated to Deaneries shortly.

Entrants into training will require possession of the IABSEM Diploma (or equivalent) and training will consist of a four-year programme, successful completion of which will lead to the award of a CCT.

Curricula

Due to regular revisions, arising from changes in the training environment and the requirements of the PMETB, the JRCPTB are currently running various curricula for trainees in each specialty.  All relevant curricula are listed at the bottom of this page under Documents.  Use the filter option on the right-hand side, together with the guidance notes below,  to help you select the correct document.  In summary:

• If you are a run-through (Specialty Registrar [StR]) trainee, you will follow the curricula tagged as ST3+

• If you are an ‘old style’ SpR, you are following the curricula tagged as SpR

• If you enrolled prior to 01/01/03, you will be following the original curricula which are no longer available for download, see note below

 
Competence Based Curricula – StRs

The assessment blueprints show the possible methods that can be used to assess each of the competences in the curriculum. Trainees and trainers should refer to the blueprints for guidance on the appropriate assessment methods for each aspect of the curriculum, and so plan the training programme according to the criteria set by the RITA Decision Aid. It is not expected that all competences will be assessed by all methods, rather that there will be a sampling of competences within a variety of settings, both within formal and workplace-based assessment, from which overall competence acquisition has to be determined.

 Acute care common stem (Medicine) trainees will also follow the ACCS training manual.

Competence Based Curricula – SpR (for trainees enrolling after 1 Jan 2003)

The JCHMT introduced revised curricula for all the medical specialties together with a generic curriculum that applied to all trainees back in 2003. These are competence-based and set out the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be acquired by trainees before they may be awarded a CCT. 

Curricula (for trainees enrolling before 1 Jan 2003)

Membership list will appear soon.  If you have any queries please email kate.forrester@jrcptb.org.uk